It is well known that fresh foods can be preserved for prolonged times when refrigerated. Refrigerators and freezers have been developed and placed in the typical household so as to be readily accessible to the occupants of the household. The refrigerators typically include a large door that can be opened to expose the interior of the refrigerator, with a light switch that illuminates an interior light to illuminate the interior of the refrigerated space. Typically, perishable food items are placed on shelves within the interior storage space of the refrigerator.
There are occasions when the refrigerator door is closed and remains closed for long periods, such as overnight, or even several days at a time. At other times, the refrigerator door might be opened and closed several times in a short period, such as during and after the preparation of a meal, where the person must have access to all the food items in the refrigerator and retrieve food items from and deposit food items in the refrigerated storage space. During the busy meal times, the refrigerated storage space usually is somewhat unstable in that warm air is allowed to enter the refrigerated storage space when the door is open. When groceries are first being placed in the refrigerated space, items at atmospheric temperature tend to raise the temperature of the storage space. Usually, this requires the refrigeration system to operate to recover the desired low temperature of the refrigerated storage space. Once the desired interior temperature has been recovered in the refrigerated storage space and the refrigerator door remains closed, the operation of the compressor and other elements of the refrigeration system can be terminated and remain terminated for long periods.
While refrigerated storage spaces have been the most popular means for preserving fresh foods, it is also possible to preserve foods in compartments having reduced interior pressure, generally known as vacuum compartments. For example, a compartment can be opened, a fresh food item placed in the compartment, the compartment closed and sealed against the atmosphere, and some of the atmosphere within the compartment withdrawn from the compartment, thereby reducing the interior pressure about the fresh foods. The reduced interior pressure within the vacuum compartment tends to radically reduce the rate of deterioration of the fresh food within the compartment.
Although the use of a vacuum compartment to preserve fresh foods is known in the art, the use of vacuum compartments in the typical household has not become practical. Some of the problems of using vacuum compartments are that the air pressure in the vacuum compartment must be equalized with respect to atmospheric pressure before the compartment can be opened. This requires a waiting period for the person trying to retrieve food from or deposit food in the vacuum compartment. Also, since the typical household already has a refrigerator, the use of a vacuum compartment for preservation of foods is considered to be somewhat redundant.
Accordingly, it appears that there has been no development of a practical combination of a refrigerated storage space that includes a vacuum cabinet positioned in the storage space, whereby fresh food items can be storage in the vacuum cabinet and preserved in an atmosphere of reduced temperature and reduced pressure.
It is to this end that the invention disclosed herein is applied.